An
electrical project can seem straightforward on its surface. Nail box to
stud. Run wire from point A to point B. Connect outlet.

And it
is fairly straightforward in new construction, when walls and ceilings
aren't obstacles and when plumbing and ductwork can be easily worked
around.

It's also straightforward on TV, but for different
reasons. Several experienced professionals are focused on the task. All
the prep work has been done in advance, and the proper materials are
ready and waiting. The project can even be staged for a quick shoot to
speed things up.

But I don't have the advantages of a TV shoot.
And my house isn't new construction. So adding an outlet, switch or
light fixture can be tricky business.

It can be a real mystery,
too. Before cutting a hole in any wall or ceiling to add that electrical
box, the big question is: What exactly lurks behind that wall or
ceiling?

Sure, go ahead. Cut into the drywall. All you need is
to find you've sliced into the ductwork, caused a minor flood by
piercing a water line, or severed live wires (hopefully, you'll live to
tell about it).

Even a stud finder doesn't eliminate the
guesswork entirely. When the light on the stud finder glows, does it
indicate a stud? Or is it warning of some potential hazard?

Discovering what's behind drywall is much like playing peek-a-boo without the peek.

Another
mystery is establishing a power source and figuring out how to reach
it. Run the wire to the main circuit breaker box? Connect it to an
existing outlet? How much wire will you need, and what obstacles will
lie in its path? Will studs or firestops prevent you from fishing a wire
through the wall? Will you find yourself drilling holes through joist
after joist to string wire to its destination?

Working around the mystery

Sometimes the mystery and
suspense are overwhelming. You simply have no clue what surprises lie in
wait behind that wall and don't care to find out -- especially if you
live in an older home.

And sometimes there simply isn't any space behind the wall to run a wire.

That's when it's time to consider surface-mount channels.

Surface-mount
channels, as their name implies, mount on the surface of a wall or
ceiling with brackets and screws. Instead of snaking behind the
uncharted recesses of your drywall, wires run through the durable metal
channels, also referred to as surface-mount conduit or raceway.

(Warning:
Don't confuse surface-mount channels with the kind used for tidying up
computer or entertainment center wires and cables. Such workstation
cable organizers simply aren't designed to accommodate wire used in home
construction.)

A number of accessories are designed to
accommodate almost any situation -- 90-degree elbows for going around
both outside and inside corners, elbows for making turns on a flat
surface, couplers for connecting long sections of channel, T-shaped
fittings for branching wires in two directions, and boxes of varying
depths and widths, including two-gang (two-switch) boxes and circular
boxes for light fixtures.

To access power, a special metal
extension box is installed at an existing outlet or switch. This extends
the outlet or switch away from the wall so the surface-mount channel
and wiring can be connected to it.

How surface-mount channels can help

A
surface-mount channel was the solution in our mud room, where a series
of studs blocked the precise spot a light switch needed to be.

I
simply added a special extension box to existing wiring, attached a
surface-mount channel to the wall, connected it to a surface-mount
switch box and added the switch.

A surface-mount channel also was
the solution at my friend's old house. His aging cloth-insulated wiring
was simply too fragile to connect to a new ceiling fixture, and
stringing wires behind the old-style lath-and-plaster walls was too
unpredictable.

Instead, the surface-mount channel allowed
power to flow directly from the light switch to a new, securely mounted
ceiling fixture.

There are two caveats with surface-mount
channels. Since you won't be probing behind walls, you could miss
discovering that bundle of cash stashed there by one of Al Capone's
cohorts or that historic edition of The Muskegon Chronicle heralding the
end of World War II.

You'll also have to compromise somewhat on
appearance unless the channels are installed behind appliances or
furniture. Even so, surface-mount channels can be disguised
significantly by painting them to match the color of your wall or
ceiling.

And don't worry. Eventually, you'll get used to them.

Even if you don't, is "ugly" too great a sacrifice? Think about it. You've saved yourself, quite possibly, from:

• Wriggling through a musty attic or spider-filled crawl space. • Fishing wire through the unknown, dust-filled caverns behind walls. • Trying to guess what's behind that drywall with a stud finder. • Patching up botched drywall cuts and/or "fist holes of frustration." • Burning down the house with that old, unsafe wiring.

Mystery solved?

Not really. In this story, the mystery is never solved.

But then again, it doesn't need to be.

Safety firstBefore doing any electrical work:

Check local building codes.

Always take out the appropriate permits.

If
your building code requires it, or if you are unsure of your abilities
or the job is more than you can handle, hire a qualified electrician.

Always shut off the power.

Connect

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